Barrel-making machine



Aug. 4, 1925. 1,548,648 H. c. ALLSTON BARREL MAKING MACHINE Filed Oct, '7, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Illl' n I'In' E I a INVENTOR Q? Q ffz kCAZLSZon,

WITNESSES ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1925.

H. c. ALLSTON BARREL MAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet A W l l i y M INVENTOR) WITNESSES ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1925. 1,548,648

H. c. ALLSTON BARREL MAKING MACHINE Filed Oct. 7, 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 5 WITN ESSES ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

attests FFEQE.

HUGH COACI-IIVIAN ALLSTON, F ADAMIS RUN, SOUTH CAROLINA.

BARREL-TEAKING TEAGI-IINE.

Application filed October 7, 1922.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH G. ALLsToN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adams Run, in the county of Charleston and State of South Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in BarreLMaking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention machines.

The object is to improve the construction of barrel making machines, whereby barrels may be manufactured more expeditiously with a fewer number of operations and less handling on the part of the operatives, and consequently at much less cost than in the ordinary method of producing the same.

More specifically, the present machine is designed to be operated by two men and to hold and to form a'barrel in its earlier stages of manufacture, wherein the sides or barrel proper is composed of two equal sections of slitted veneer, and to facilitate the introduction and application of the necessary inside and outsidehoops at either end of the barrel, and to automatically staple the same in position.

Another object is to provide for the application of a wire hoop to the outside of the barrel prior to the fastening of the outside wooden hoops in order to conform to a Federal law requiring such metal hoops on all barrels intended for use in the trans portation of potatoes and other vegetables, suchhoops having heretofore been applied by hand. as a separate operation.

' A final object is to provide a barrel makrelates to barrel making 7 ing machine which is simple of construction, may be manufactured at a moderate cost and may be easily and quickly operated persons not necessarily skilled in the art to produce veneer barrels, which have the I required strength and rigidity with the nec essary inner and outer reinforcing and holding hoops secured thereto, at its ends, to gether with the said metal hoop, and to place them in condition for transfer to some form of shaping machine, such as shown and described in Patent Number 998,478, issued to J. F. East, July 18, 1911, on which ma chine, or any other similar machine, the barrel which, up to this stage, is in a tubular form, is given the usual bulge at the central portion thereof and the intermediate inner but may be changed or Serial No. 593,1 12.

and outer hoops are applied and secured in position.

A full and complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, it being understood that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not to be confined to strict conformity with the showing thereof,

modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a barrel making machine constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail, vertical sectional view, taken longitudinally through the formed barrel and showing the construction of the barrel holding heads;

Figure 3 is a vertical, transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail section through the clamp for holding the inner hoop in position on the expander head;

Figure 5 is a detail section through a portion of the expander head;

Figure 6 is a detail horizontal sectional view through the gearing at the upper left hand corner of the machine, as viewed in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is an end elevation of the same;

Figure 8 is a plan view of one of the veneer blanks used in the construction of the body of the barrel; and

Figure 9 is a side view of the barrel as it is shaped by the forming machine.

Figure 10 is a detail view through the actuating shaft showing one of the clutch members.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the same.

in the ordinary method of forming veneer barrels the work is done by hand up to a certain stage before the barrel is operated on by the shaping or forming machine, such as the hereinbefore mentioned East machine.

The present invention is designed to do the work formerly done by hand, to simplify the operation, and to eliminate the services of several operatives. This work consists in placing the two halves composing the barrel together, inserting inside wooden hoops at each end, together with outside hoops at each end, and a wire hoop 1n surrounding relation to the barrel, and abutting at the bottom end thereof against the outside hoop at that end. The wire hoop, which, as has been stated, is required by law on barrels for certain uses, could easily be put on by hand, but efforts heretofore to place the same in position while the elements of the barrel were being assembled and secured in position in amachine, have been unsuccessful. The present invention takes care of all this by providing means for easily slipping the necessary wire hoop over the barrel while the same is in position in the machine, so that thebarrel is fully prepared and ready to be acted on by the East machine, or any other similar machlne, for the purpose of bulging the body of the barrel and applying and securing in position the two spaced intermediate hoops on the inside and the outside of the barrel, as a final operation.

The wooden veneer, of which the barrel is formed, is cut into rectangular pieces substantially 27 by 29 inches, the latter dimension representing the approximate height of the finished barrel. As shown in Figure of the drawing, the rectangular blank A is formed of wooden veneer being substantially one-quarter inch thick, and having equally spaced slits 13 arranged longitudinally thereof, that is, parallel to the 29- inch dimension or vertically of the finished barrel. These slits are formed entirely through the sheet of veneer and are equally spaced apart, being preferably nine in number so that there are ten staves therebetween, in each blank or half and twenty staves in the complete barrel, the ends of the slits B stopping short at each end, from the edge of the veneer blank A. Each blank A comprises one-half of the body of the barrel, and when curved into a semi-circular form, being 27 inches in length, will provide a diameter of substantially 17 inches on the inside of the barrel when the two halves are applied together in a manner to be described. The slits B, it will be un derstood, permit the staves therebetween to bulge outwardly after the finished barrel is operated on by the forming machine to give the same the usual shape, while the integral end portions of each blank serve to hold the barrel together at the top and bottom in conjunction with the several hoops placed thereon.

As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the improved machine consists of a supporting base 1, formed of some suitable cast metal and having, adjacent to each end, perpendicular posts or standards 2, preferably formed integral therewith, and having their upper ends provided with outstanding flanges in the same horizontalplane and adapted to receive and support vertically disposed, tapered pedestals 3, which are suitably secured thereto, as by bolts or other fasteners. The upper ends ofthe tapered pedestals 3 are provided with alined horizontal bearings 4- for the reception of a longitudinal actuating shaft 5 adapted to operate the several elements of the machine in the proper timed relation. 7

Secured to the outer faces of the tapered pedestals 3 are angular brackets 6 having attaching plates 7 for the purpose of conreception of the inner ends of short drive shafts 10, whose outer ends are mounted 1n eyes or bearings 11 formed in the up standing portions of the angular brackets 6, the said shafts 10 being preferably held against rotation by set screws 12.

The posts 2 which are preferably formed of hollow construction, are provided adjacent to their upper ends, where connected to the pedestals 3, with horizontally disposed, alined, tubular bearings 13, passing entirely through the same for the purpose of mounting slidable and rotatable barrel-supporting heads therein.

The ends of the actuating shaft 5, where pro ecting slightly beyond the bracket bearings 8, extend into sleeves which are connected with crank discs 14 having the usual wrlst pms 15, to which are suitably con nected adjustable pitmen 16, the lower ends of which are connected to, hinged extensions or links 17 adapted to swing independently of, andat right angles to the path of movement of the said pitmen 16, the lower ends ofsaid extensions being, in turn, pivotally connected to, the horizontally disposed arms of bellcrank levers 18 pivoted attheir angles, as at 19, to outwardly extended portions of the flanges at the tops of the posts or standards 2. The downwardly extending arms of the bell crank levers 18 are in turn connected to links 20, which have their inner ends pivoted to the terminals of relatively short shafts 21, which latter are. adapted to support and to actuatev the barease is rel-supporting heads, in a manner to be described.

As thus far described, the two ends of the machine are identical in construction and, together with certain other parts to be described, provide for the complete preparation of the barrel for the final operation of the forming or shaping machine.

Mounted within the tubular bearing 13 of the right hand post or standard 2 (as views in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings), there is a bushing 22 suitably held from longitudinal movement therein, and in which there is adapted to revolve and to slide a hollow shaft 23 having a bore fitting the aforesaid short shaft 21 on that side of the machine. The short shaft 21 and the hollow shaft 23 are considerably longer than the said bushing 22, and are adapted to normally extend inwardly beyond the inner wall of the post or standard 2, the inner end of the hollow shaft carry ing a circular barrel supporting head 24, which is preferably formed integrally therewith. The adjacent inner end of the short shaft 21 is provided with a flange or head 25 bearing against the. inner end of the hub of the head 24, and the outer end of said shaft is pivotally connected to the aforesaid link 20 so that when the bell crank lever 18 on this side of the machine is actuated through the medium of the pitman 16 and the crank disc 14, the head 24 is moved longitudinally toward or away from the adjacent post 2, the shafts 21 and 23 sliding together through the bushing 22 in the bearing 13. This manner of mounting the head 24; permits of the said movement thereof toward and away from the center of the machine, and at the same time permits of a rotary movement of the said head in a step-by-step manner, which movements, as will be explained, are necessary in the formation of the barrel.

The head 24 is provided with an inwardly directed, peripheral flange 26, whose face is conical shaped or tapered, and ends in an outstanding flange constituting an abutment stop 27 against which the hereinbeforedescribed veneer blanks A are adapted to be placed together with the inner and outer wooden hoops C and D respectively, in a manner to be explained. The slidable head 24 is provided with a spring clip 28, se-

cured to the outer face thereof and adapted to overhang the tapered flange 26 and to bear downwardly against the veneer tohold the same at this end of the machine.

The hollow shaft 23 carries, at its outer end, a ratchet wheel 29 having its inner face provided with a tapered hub 30, which is adapted, when the head 24- is forced in wardly by means of the bell crank lever 18, to frictionally engage between the correspondingly tapered ends of a pair of spaced,

outwardly extending lugs or enlargements 31, and to act as an automatic brake to immediately arrest the rotary movement of said head and, in addition, to stop the longi tudinal sliding movement of the same inwardly so as to position the said head for the reception of the veneer blanks A and the hoops.

A vertically movable rod 32 having its lower end 33 bent outwardly at right angles, is adapted to engage and to actuate the ratchet wheel 29, the portion 33 acting as a dog to engage the teeth of the wheel and, by reason of its extension, to permit the wheel to be advanced outwardly or inwardly together with the head 2s, while still maintaining such engagement. The upper end of the rod 32, which is supported pendently, is slightly deflected and provided, at its upper terminal, with a strap for surrounding an eccentric 3 f, suitably secured to the actuating shaft 5 adjacent to the bearing l, and adapted to be rotated to give the necessary movement to the ratchet wheel 29 and the head 2a.

A drive pulley 35 having connected theretoa relatively small pinion 36 is loosely mounted on the short shaft 10 at this side of the machine, and said pinion is adapted to mesh with a larger gear wheel 37 loosely mounted on the actuating shaft 5 adj acentto the outer face of the eccentric The outer face of the hub formed on the gear wheel 3'? is provided as shown in Figures 10 and 11 with ratchet teeth, any one of which may be engaged by a pin 37 which is adapted to be projected by the spring 37 but is normally held retracted by clutch member 38 suitably pivoted on an arm 39 carried by the cap plate of the bearing 8, said mechanism being substantially the same as that shown and described in the said East ma chine. The clutch member 38, when actuated, permits the pin 3? to connect the, loosely mounted gear wheel 3'? to a coacting disc 40 ournaled on the shaft and, through the medium of a suitable sleeve $0, to cause a rotary movement to the adjacent crank disc 1.4; at the proper time to withdraw the head 24 from the barrel, ri portion of the disc 40 is surrounded by a brake band 40 carried by the arnr 39 and adjustable, by means of a thumb-nut 90 to increase tension on the band to frictionally stop rotary movement of the crank disc 1st when the clutch is disengaged. The said crank disc is actuated one-half a revolution at each actuation, through proper timed movement of the foot pedal to thus slide the barrel-supporting head 2% to its innermost and its outermost positions.

The clutch member 38 is actuated by a push rod ll extending downwardly to the base plate 1, and is there connected to a foot pedal 42 extending inwardly to within easy reach of the operator at this side ofthe machine, it being understood that two men are employed to control the machine, one in front and one in rear of the same. A retractile spring 43 is connected to the inner free end of the peda and to the adjacent face of the post or standard 2, to elevate the pedal when pressure of the foot is released, and to disconnect the gear wheel 37 from the actuating shaft, so that rotary motion from the drive pulley 35 will not be imparted to the shaft or crank disc.

Any suitable form of barrel hoop feeding and stapling mechanism may be em.- ployed at each end of the machine, similar means to that employed in. the East machine being indicated at 44: in the drawin the same being supported in position on a ietachable arm L5 bolted to the front face of the pedestal 3, and having means for proper actuation by eccentrics a6 mounted on the actuating shaft 5 and adapted to feed the strips forming the hoops and to staple the same when actuated.

The short shaft 21 at the left hand end of the machine is pivotally connected at its outer end to the adjacent link 20, and is adapted to be moved longitudinally thereby through the medium of the bell crank lever 18 and the crank disc 14, such movement being, however, provided not for the purpose of moving the head 47 in a like manner, but to cause the actuation of expanding mechanism to be described.

The head 4L7, as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, is preferably formed integrally with an extended hub or sleeve 48, fitting in the adjacent bearing 13 and extending through the same, where a retain-- ing collar 49 is secured thereto to. prevent the same from longitudinal movement, the said hub having an integral disc 50 formed thereon and abutting against the inner face of the adjacent post or standard 2 to prevent outward movement of the head, said disc acting as a brake in conjunction with a surrounding band 5r adjustably secured to the post 2 and adapted to arrest the rotary movement of the head 17, such movement being imparted thereto in a step by step manner, bymeans about to be described.

Adjacent to the disc 50, and between the same and the head 47, the hub or sleeve 4E8. carries a ratchet wheel 52 adapted to be en gaged by a pendant rod or dog 53 having connection with and adapted to be actuated by an eccentric 5 1- similar to the aforesaid eccentric 34 on the other end of the machine. The rods 32 and 53 give the desired step by step movement to the heads 24; and a? respectively by reason of the engagement of the same with the teeth of the ratchet wheels 29 and 52.

The expander head 47 is provided on its inner face, with a series of dove-tailed slots re eases or seats 55, preferably four in number, (Fig.

3), tie same being arranged radially to the 7 center of the head and extending inwardly from the periphery thereof substantially half way to the center. Seated Within these slots are sliding blocks 56 somewhat shorter than the lengths of the slots and dovetailed to fit the same. The inner end of the adjacent short shaft 21 extends inwardly beyond the inner face of the head, and is there pro-. vided with spaced sets of outstanding arms between which are pivoted spreader links 57, whose outer ends are, in turn, pivoted in slots provided in the inner ends of the sliding blocks, so that, when the short shaft 21 is reciprocated outwardly through the medium of the bell crank lever 18 and the adjacent crank disc 14 the movement causes the links 57 to force the sliding blocks 56 outwardly within the dove-tailed seats 55.

The outer ends of the blocks 56 carry arcuate hoop seats, in the form of segments 59 (Fig. 4c), the same having, on their outer marginal edges, upstanding flanges 60, and the length of th segments is such that when the blocks are in their innermost position in the slots 55, the outer portions of the same rest upon the periphery of the head 4:7 and they form, in elfect, a continuous circle of a diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the finished barrel, which is generally about seventeen inches.

Each, flange 59 overhangs the inner face of the head 47 and is provided at its center in line with the spreader links 57, with a marginal lug 61 whose outer face is inclined, as clearly shown in Figure i of the drawings, and facilitates the placing of the inner hoop E thereon, said hoop being cut at a length to provide the proper diameter to fit the inside ofthe finished barrel, at the bottom end thereof, which end is designed to be handled by this, side of the machine,

the upper end of the barrel being handled by the first described. or right hand'end of the machine.

lhe periphery of the head, at?" is provided with a slot 62, in which is pivotally mounted a clamp 63 bent substantially at right an-.

gles to overlie the central part of one of the segments 59, and; having its end tapered to facilitate its rocking movement by the finger of the operator in. order to. provide room for placing the said inner hoop E thereunder and behind the inclined lugs 61. The pivot of theclamp is surrounded by a coiled spring 6 f having its ends suit-.

ably anchored tov cause the clamp tO'.1101" mally press downwardly against the outer face of the inner hoop E and to holdthe.

free ends thereof, while the elements are being placed in positionprior to. stapling.

by the devices 44:, the flange being pro vided with an open-ended slot 65 to allow the longitudinally disposed portion of the clamp 6-3 to move therein for such purpose.

in order to secure the proper timed relation of the expanders, it is necessary. to re tluce the speed of the left hand end of the machine and in order to do this it is nece sary to interpose reducing gears between the drive pulley and the actuating parts. The drive pulley 66 together with the con nected pinion 67 are for "red similarly to the pulley and pinion first described, and are mounted on the adjacent shaft 10 in the same manner to revolve independently thereof. The pinion 67 is in mesh with a gear wheel 68 loosely mounted on the actuating shaft 5 between the bearings t and S and is constantly driven thereby, said wheel being adapted to be connected to or disconnected from a member 69 se-- cured to the said shaft 5, by means of clutch mechanism 69 which is similar to the clutch mechanism 38 at the other end of the machine and which is illustrated in detail in Figures 10 and 11, and adapted to be controlled by a push rod 70 having connection at its lower end to a foot pedal 71 arranged on the same side of the machine as the pedal 42 and adapted to be operated by the same operator, a coiled spring 72 being connected to said pedal and to the adjacent post or standard 2, for the purpose of normally elevating the pedal and disconnecting the gear wheel 68 from the shaft 5.

The opposite face of the gear wheel 68 is provided with clutch elements for coaction with the clutch 73 carried by an arm 7%, similar to the aforesaid arm 39 and mounted on the cap plate of the adjacent bearing 8, said clutch 73 being formed similarly to the clutches 38 and 69 and adapted to be actuated by the push rod 75 connected to a foot actuated pedal 76 located at the rear side of the machine, the inner end of which extends to the center of the machine and is retracted by a spring 77.

The clutch mechanism 73 is adapted to connect a loosely mounted pinion 78 to the gear wheel 68 so as to cause rotation of the pinion, and when the gear 68 is connected by the clutch 69 to the member 69 which is secured to the shaft 5, said shaft is caused to rotate.

The adjacent crank disc 14 is carried by a sleeve 79 mounted in the bearing 8 and in surrounding relation to the end of the actuating shaft 5, the said sleeve 79 having secured on its inner end a gear wheel 80 abutting against the pinion 78 on one side but independent thereof and against the bearing 8 on the other side.

The adjacent bracket 6 is provided with a forwardly extending angular arm 81 formed integrally therewith and having. at its forward upper end, a clamping bearing 82 in which is secured a short stub shaft 83, on the inner end of which is mounted a double gear having a larger gear 8% in meshing relation to the aforesaid pinion 7S loose on the shaft 5, and also having a small gear 85 which is in mesh with the gear wheel 80 connected to the adjacent crank disc 14-. By this arrangement the speed of the crank disc is properly reduced below the speed of the gear wheel 68, which is constantly driven by the belt pulley 65 and the interposed pinion 67. Automatic brake mechanism 86, similar to 40 and 51, is carried by shaft 5, to check the latter.

In the operation of the machine, a pile of the veneer blanks formed and slitted as hereinbefore described, are placed on the base plate 1 between the standards 2. This locates the same between the foot pedals and within easy reach of the operators, the same being immediately beneath the two barrel holding heads 24 and 47. A number of iron wire hoops F previously formed in a diameter to snugly lit the outside of the finished barrel, are placed over the expanding head 47 and rest upon the exposed portion of the sleeve or hub 4-8 between the head and the adjacent ratchet wheel 52, so that the said rings or hoops F are within easy reach of the operators.

First the inside wooden hoop E for the bottom end of the barrel is placed on the expanders 59 and behind the lugs 61, the said expanders being at their innermost position or retracted and the ends of the strip comprising the inner hoop being held by the clamp 63. The inner hoop, as well as all other wooden hoops used in the construction of the barrel, is composed of elm wood, which is strong and pliable and is fed into position by the mechanism indicated at 4% at each end of the machine, which mechanism also includes means for stapling the hoops in position and for feeding and tensioning the wire for the staples. This inner hoop E is one inch in width and snugly fits between the flange 60 and the straight inner Wall of the inclined lugs 61 and is adapted to snugly surround the several arcuate segments 59, the ends being somewhat overlapped and held by the clamp 63 to allow for expansion later and to be properly stapled.

At this time the inside wooden hoop C for the open end of the barrel is fed into position in surrounding relation to the sliding head 24, said hoop resting on the inclined or tapered flange 26 thereof, the over- .lapped ends of the hoop being engaged beneath the spring clip 28 which holds the same temporarily.

The two halves of the body of the barrel consisting of two of the veneer blanks A are then placed by hand on the heads 24: and 47 and around the outside of the inner hoops C and E, the slits B of said blanks A running longitudinally of the machine and the imperforate end portions thereof resting on the said heads. The veneer at the left hand end bears upon the outside of the clamp 63, with one of the seams between the blanks at the top and the other at the bottom of the heads, the edges being flush at the top and held by the springs 28. The spring 28 thus holds the veneer blanks 'at the top on the right hand end, while the left hand end of the blanks at their upper meeting edges are held by hand, the lower, free edges of the two blanks being held by the knees of the two operators, one on each side, while one of said operators removes one of the wire hoops F and slides the same over the head at? beneath the stapling device and, while the veneer is contracted, pushes the said ring onto the body of the barrel to a position near the center of the same, which serves to temporarily hold the veneer in tubular form, the lower free edges being thus caused to remain in juxtaposition, or near thereto.

N ow the pedal 76 is depressed to lock gear 68 to pinion 78 when the latter serves to drive the gear 84 and pinion 85, together with'gear 80, at reduced speed, and which being mounted on the sleeve 79 with the ad jacent crank disc 14, will actuate the expanders 59 to the predetermined diameter for the proper internal dimensions of the barrel Up to this time the lower seam is somewhat overlapped at the expander end only, and when the pedal 76 is thus depressed to actuate-the expanders, this overlapping disappears, and the overlapping of the ends of the inner hoop is just the proper amount for stapling.

Now the pedal 71 is depressed thus locking the member 139 to the gear 68 and causing the shaft 5 to rotate, the other train of gearing 78, 80, 84 and 85 having been thrown out of gear by the retractile spring '77 on pedal 76, and the eccentrics 84c and 54 are rotated to cause a step by step rotary movement of the barrel, at the same time the outside elm hoop Gr which is preferably one and one-half inches wide, is automatically fed on around the bottom end of the barrel while the outside hoop D, at the upper end of the barrel, which is preferably one inch in width, is simultaneously fed on automatically around the revolving barrel, and the two hoops, together with the ends of the veneer blanks and the inner hoops are stapled in place by the automatic stapling mechanism 44, the said outside hoops overlapping at the ends, as usual. The hoop D is spaced away from the end of the veneer to allow room for the final hoop for holding the usual jute covering, or other cover, to be placed in position, and it should be stated that the inner'hoop Cwhich is with in the open or uppernend of the barrel, is

revolution to release the expanders,

preferably three inches in width to reenforce the ends of the veneer from within and allow the fastening of the said final hoop in place.

Now the pedal 76 is again depressed to connect gears 84 and 85 with 78 and 80, when the crank disc 14: at the left hand end of the machine will be revolved one-half The pedal 42 is then depressed toactuate the crank disc lei at the right hand end of the machine one-half revolution, and withdraw the head 24 to release the barrel which is forced from engagement with the clamp 63, which is now located at the top of the head 4&7, and the barrel drops from the machine, the wire hoop F being then forced downwardly against the upper edge of the outside, bottom, wooden hoop Gr, and the barrel is then taken to the East machine or other shaping or forming machine similar thereto, to be shaped. This machine, by means of certain intermediate expanders gives the usual bulge to the sides thereof, the slits ll opening to form staves, and inner and outer intermediate hoops are fastened in place to maintain such shape, as indicated in dotted. lines at H in Figure 9 of the drawing.

hat is claimed is 1. -A barrel making machine comprising barrel when the operation is completed, a

shaft mounted on said standards above the barrel supporting elements, and means supported on said shaft to operate the barrel supporting elements selectively.

2. A barrel'making machine comprising opposed standards, barrel supporting elements carried by the standards, one of said elements including expanding means for one end of the barrel, and having means for engaging and holding the inner hoop at that end, the other element being bodily slidable longitudinally of the barrel to free the same from the other end of the barrel when the operation is completed, a shaft mounted on said standards above the barrel supporting elements, and means supported on said shaft to operate the barrel supporting elements selectively.

3. A barrel making machine comprising opposed standards, barrel supporting elcments carried by the standards, one of said elements including expanding means for one end of the barrel and having a spring pressed pivoted clamp for engaging the inner hoop for holding it on the expanding means, the other element being bodily slid able longitudinally of the barrel to free the same from the other end of the barrel when the operation is completed, a shaft mounted on said standards above the barrel supporting elements, and means supported on said shaft to operate the barrel supporting elements selectively.

4. A barrel making machine comprising a pair of opposed standards, independently movable means mounted on the respective standards for supporting and operating on the barrel, said means including opposed spaced heads adapted to fit into the open ends of the barrel being formed, one of said heads having means for expanding one end of the barrel, and the other end having means for withdrawing the same from the barrel to release the barrel, a shaft mounted on said standards, a pair of gear wheels journaled on the shaft, means for rotating said gear wheels, means for operatively connecting one of the gear wheels to the expanding means, and means for operatively connecting the other gear wheel to the with drawing means.

5. A barrel making machine comprising a pair of opposed standards, barrel support ing elements carried by the respective standards, one of said elements including a head having arcuate segments fitting within the barrel, each segment being provided with a lug on the edge facing the center of the barrel and also having a continuous flange on the other edge, a clamping device carried by said head to engage over a hoop held between the lug and flange, and means carried by the other head for holding the veneer against the outside of said hoop.

6. A barrel making machine comprising a pair of opposed standards, barrel supporting elements carried by the respective standards, one of said elements including a head havingfla spring-pressed pivoted clamp for engaging the inner end hoop to hold it against the head, means associated with the last mentioned element for expanding the hoop while the veneer is held against the same, the

ther element being bodily slidable longitudinally of the barrel to free the same from the end of the barrel When the operation is completed, said second mentioned head having means for engaging and holding the veneer until it is secured in place.

7. A barrel making machine comprising a pair ,of opposed standards, barrel support ing elements carried by the standards, one of said elements including a head having means for engaging and holding the inner hoop at that end, means associated with the last mentioned element for expanding the hoop while the veneer is held against the same, the other element having means for holding the veneer while the operation is being performed and being bodily slidable longitudinally of the barrel to free the same from the barrel when the operation is completed, the head having the expanding means being provided at its outer side with means for supporting a plurality of metal hoops;

8. A barrel making machine comprising a pair of opposed standards, barrel supporting elements carried by the respective standards, one of said elements including a head provided with means for clamping an inside end hoop, means for extending said head to expand the hoop held thereby, the outer element being tapered and adapted to support an inside hoop for the other end with the veneer upon the hoop and also having means for engaging the abutting ends of the veneer for retaining the same in place upon said inside hoops, and means for withdrawing the last mentioned element from the barrel after the operation is completed.

9. A barrel making machine comprising a base having spaced standards thereon, a continuous actuating shaft mounted at the upper ends of the standards, separate driving means on the standards for select-ilvely expanding one head and imparting a bodily movement to the other, clutches for disco-nnecting the driving means from the heads and revolving the shaft to cause a step by step rotation of said heads, hoop feeding and stapling mechanisms mounted over the heads, and means carried by the revolving shaft to actuate the said mechanisms between the steps.

10. A barrel making machine comprising a base having spaced standards, one standard carrying a circular head adapted to receive one end of the barrel and the other standards having a circular head adapted to receive the other end of the body of a barrel, said last named head having means: for expanding that end of the barrel, an actuating shaft mounted at the top of the standards, stub shafts mounted on each standard and having ach a driving pulley and pinion mounted thereon, loosely mounted gear wheels on the shaft and meshing with the pinions, clutches for locking the gear wheels to the shaft to impart rotary motion thereto, means for operating the expanding means to increase the diameter of that end of the barrel, and speed-reducing gearing interposed between the shaft and the expanding means to properly time the latter.

11. A barrel making machine comprising a base having spaced standards, one standard carrying acircular head adapted to receive one end of the barrel, said head being movable longitudinally out of the. end of the barrel, and the other standard having a circular head adapted to receive the other end of the body of a barrel, said head having means for expanding that end of the barrel, an actuating shaft mounted at the top of the standards, stub shafts mounted on each standard and having each a driving pulley and pinion mounted thereon, loosely mounted gear wheels on the shaft and meshing With the pinions, clutches for locking the gear Wheels to the shaft to impart rotary motion thereto, a crank disc carried by the end of the shaft, a bell crank lever mounted on the adjacent standard, a pitman connecting the disc to the bell crank lever, a shaft carrying the movable head and slidably mounted in the standard and having its free end connected to the bell crank lever to cause the head to leave the barrel when the disc is rotated one-half revolution.

12.- A barrel makin machine comprising spaced standards, barrel-supporting elements carried by the standards, one of said elements including a head for one end of the barrel with expanding means therefor, and the other element including a head for the other end of the barrel with means for Withdrawing said head from the barrel, a common actuating shaft mounted at the top of the standards, gearing for driving both heads from said shaft by a step-by step rotary movement, separate means connected With the opposite ends of the shaft for actuating the expanding means of one head and for actuating the Withdrawing means of the other head, said separate means being actuated independently of the driving means.

13. A barrel making machine comprising a pair of opposed standards, barrel supporting elements carried by the respective standards, one of said elements including expanding means for one end of the barrel, the other element being bodily slidable longi tudinally of the barrel to free the same from the adjacent end of the barrel when the operation is completed, a shaft mounted on said standards above said barrel support ing elements, means supported on said shaft to operate the barrel supporting elements selectively, means for rotating said shaft, and means operable by the rotation thereof to impart a step by step rotation to the barrel supporting elements.

14:. A barrel making machine comprising a pair of opposed standards, independently movable means mounted on the standards for supporting and operating on the barrel, said means including a pair of opposed spaced heads adapted to fit into the open ends of the barrel being formed thereon, one of said heads being e'xpansible and the other being movable longitudinally to Withdraw the same from the barrel, a shaft mounted on said standards, a pair of gear wheels journaled on the shaft, means for rotating said gear Wheels, means for operatively connecting one of the gear Wheels to the expanding means, separate means for operatively connecting the other gear Wheel to the longitudinally movable head, independent means for connecting one of said gear Wheels to the shaft for rotating the latter, and means operable by the rotation of said shaft to rotate both barrel supporting means step by step.

15. A barrel making machine, comprising a pair of opposed standards, opposed barrel supporting elements carried thereby, means on each of said supporting elements for clamping an inside end hoop, means for holding the veneer in contact with the outside of the hoops, means associated with one of said supporting elements for expanding the hoop and veneer so held, and means for rotating both supporting elements step by step to apply the staples.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atiixed my signature. V V

HUGH COAGHMAN ALLSTON. 

